About US

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Seth Hays is Managing Director and Co-Founder of APAC GATES, an Indo-Pacific based not-for-profit management consultancy. He brings over two decades of experience in the not-for-profit sector in Asia, including work with governments, leading universities, associations, and civil society organizations across the region. Most recently he was Chief Representative for a large not-for-profit association in the Indo-Pacific Region working on innovation policy, in which he established and operated association offices in Shanghai, Beijing, and Singapore, which sustained membership growth, event attendance, and overall engagement in the region.

He has testified before the Hong Kong Legislative Council on innovation policy, and contributed to briefs before the Supreme Courts of India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In 2021, Seth was a visiting scholar at the East-West Center and Korea Foundation researching US and Korea cooperation on innovation policy and economic security in Southeast Asia. Seth continues to lead regional discussions on illicit trade, civic freedom, and innovation issues as a member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association's Anticorruption and Rule of Law Committee.

He has recently authored thought leadership including "US-ROK Cooperation Can Improve IP Protection in Southeast Asia" (East-West Center, 2022), "Building Trust In Asia’s Digital Trade Revolution" (Eurasia Review, 2022), and "Asia falling behind the AI regulation race" (Asia Times, 2023).

Seth is a member of the New York State Bar and studied not-for-profit management at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He has an M.A. in Pacific and Asian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi, and a B.A in science, technology, and society from Vassar College.

Morgan Hughes is Director of Research and Co-Founder of APAC GATES and an experienced policy researcher with a strong focus on trade association research and insights. She brings with her over 15 years of experience in project management, on-the-ground fieldwork for humanitarian not-for-profits and business associations, and practical policy advocacy having led policy briefings for governments across the Asia-Pacific region.

Morgan has worked for leading chambers of commerce in Asia, including with AmCham Taiwan and as Head of AmCham Singapore's Insights division, where she led multi-country research projects and represented the Chamber's research at regional forums such as the annual ASEAN Economic Minister's Meeting. Additionally, she has worked with the National Bureau of Asian Research, Humanitarian Outcomes, and the Center on International Cooperation across a wide spectrum of research and publications on regional security, humanitarian affairs, and economic policy.

She has authored and co-authored studies including "Towards a Resilient Digital Future" (AmCham Taiwan, 2023), "Digital Leadership Readiness: Lessons from Singapore" (AmCham Singapore, 2021), and "Aid Worker Security Report 2012: Host states and their impact on security for humanitarian operations" (Humanitarian Outcomes, 2012).

Morgan holds an M.A. in Politics (International Relations) from New York University and a B.A. in East Asian Studies (China) and History from Oberlin College. She has also studied at Columbia University and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Morgan was nominated for the Rising Star of the Year Award at the 2019 APAC Association Awards.